The Chief of Party (CoP) is the leader of the team and is responsible for the overall planning, implementation, results and management of the performance of the Award. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor or other Senior Management officers as need arises, he/she is the team’s primary point of contact with USAID and is responsible for establishing and maintaining constructive working relationships with counterparts at the other Open Universities and with other stakeholders. The proposed CoP must have outstanding past performance references and a record of successfully leading projects that are similar in size and complexity. Complementarity of technical understanding with the other personnel is essential. In addition, the CoP must have the following qualifications:

• At least a Masters degree in a relevant field such as international development, education, public policy, youth development, or other related social/behavioral sciences;
• Eight years of relevant and progressively increasing responsibility leading programs focused on youth development, youth leadership, higher education, livelihoods, private sector engagement, civil society, or other fields related to the program. Significant relevant experience as CoP, Deputy CoP or Senior Program Manager is required;
• Demonstrated success working with senior government officials, donor partners, international organization partners, and private sector partners in assessing challenges, co-creating and implementing solutions, and achieving measurable results in development projects preferably at a regional level;
• Demonstrated capacity to effectively lead, mentor, and motivate teams in dynamic environments; foster effective partnerships in horizontal multicultural relationships; and navigate bureaucratic structures to achieve timely results. Specific examples of the CoP’s experience in fostering, leading, or managing these kinds of partnerships and relationships must be well documented; and
• The CoP must have a demonstrated leadership ability in providing oversight of local capacity development efforts, including working with local partners and/or youth organizations to ensure adherence to all sub-award requirements.